Watch Your Speed!

We’re reminded to watch our speed when we’re driving down the highway and see a speed limit sign posted.  We know there are “electronic eyes” watching up in major metro areas.  (Some us unfortunately have first-hand experience with receiving a ticket by mail.)  Without question, excessive speed can be costly.

But how often do you think about the cost of excessive speed while you’re pulling a planter and making your way across farm fields?  There is definitely a price to be paid for speeding, although you may not notice the effects until emergence or even harvest.

Proper planting speed can have one of the biggest impacts on performance. There are 1,000 variables that plants are subject to each growing season, so why not take control of one of these variables – speed?  Below is a chart that shows the differences of seed placement when traveling 5.5 mph and 6.5 mph.